I read a book called Real Citizenship this week. The boys and I are going to a government workshop next week and our homework was to read this book. I read it and will discuss it with the boys. Some of it isn't appropriate for their ages, but it did give some good ideas about how to be involved in government. One chapter was about the power of one and what just one person can do. Last night we were discussing dress codes of schools for class and for proms. There is evidently a prom dress code this year. I heard the code and it seems very reasonable. If you are wearing less than what it requires, then you should have a sheet over you anyway. I also was reading an article this week about small businesses starting up modest clothing lines because women are tired of having to dress like Britney Spears. There was also some mention of young girls not having much choice in clothing because of the immodest looks. I have heard friends mention that as well. Then there was the article yesterday about Bratz dolls and the sexy body image that they are trying to promote to very young girls. Not that the dolls are curvy, but that it is all about the clothes that you wear, and many of them are skimpy. So in light of all of the things I have been reading lately, I have a plan. I am going to write to the local mall and ask that the shop window of Victoria's Secret be a little more modest. I don't go to the mall because #1 I hate to shop, and #2 I can't stand to walk past that store. It isn't that I have a problem with what they sell. I have been known to wear some of it. BUT I don't want to walk past it with my young boys and have to explain it. They look at it and know it isn't something they want to see. So I will see what happens with the power of one. Anyone else want to join me?

Hoeing lasted about half an hour. #1 helped me, and we got a good bit done, but I could tell that I needed to stop. I had another adjustment today, and now my neck and head ache a little. The neck adjustments are helping my TMJ, which is not why I went, but a nice bonus. I have gone long enough now that I got a free certificate for my husband to go. He gets his first visit tomorrow. We have entered a new stage with our children. They have had friends over for the night before, and they actually sleep fairly well. Last night we had 3 boys over for a backyard campout, and there was precious little sleeping going on! #1 and his friend came in at 12:30 to use the bathroom, and they were all up by 6:00, some earlier. They had a great time, and I love having all the kids over. They slept in tents and played outside in the dark. It was great weather for it. I remember sleepovers when I was a kid. Lots of fun.

I now have permission to hoe! I just got back from the chiropractor's office and he said I am looking good enough for hoeing, no shoveling yet, though. Everything seems to be moving much better. It is good to feel good again. Aging is starting to enter my mind a little more. I realized that my brother-in-law's family is going to start ruining everyone's life soon. His older daughter will be starting school in the fall! I can't believe she is going to be old enough for that. She is excited that the boys will have to consider her a big girl now that she will be five. Anyway, I think they are going to have to homeschool so that we can keep on having the visits that we have enjoyed in the past. It really makes a big difference when you have to worry about school calendars. The boys and I are going to WV this weekend for a visit. I told my mother last night that school is out for us now. She was shocked that NC could be out of school already. I told her no, our school is out. The boys have put in their 180 days now. She seemed stunned. Starting school in July can do that to you. Better move along and get some hoeing done.

Except for running to the chiropractor early yesterday, we stayed home all day. I have to say it wasn't much fun, but I got a lot done and my life will be better today because of it. I have noticed that my older son can't stand to be home and have no one to go see or nothing to go do. I am afraid he gets that from me. I don't like to stay put. BUT after I am "put" for a while and see how much more I can accomplish, I don't want to go anywhere. This I also see in my son. I hope he doesn't pick up any BAD habits from his dear old mom. Spring lasts a long time in Eastern Carolina. Trees have been getting buds and leaves for a month or more, and some are still bare. Flowering trees start with red bud, then Bradford pear, then peach, dogwood, cherry, and azalea. Spring can last for a couple of months here, along with the pollen, but in Texas it lasted about 2 weeks, tops. I like this much better.

Last night we were discussing social change and flaws in society. Funny that it happened to be this week with the VT massacre. Mostly we decided that we aren't hopeful, but realistic. There isn't much you can do to change the world when sin is in the world. But what you CAN do is change the place you are in in the world. I am trying to change society by the way I treat others, by what I teach my children, by the kind of friend I am. I suppose this life would be very hopeless if not for the hope of a better life to come. Speaking of a better life...I went back to the chiropractor today. I think I like the philosophy there. You heal the spine, which encompasses the nervous system, and then the rest of the body heals because the nervous system is healed. Yesterday my back hurt worse than when I went to the chiropractor, but by evening it was doing better. It was the headache that was killing me in the evening. So I told the doc today and he adjusted my neck. I wasn't expecting it, which is probably good, but I think it is really going to help. It seems to have helped my TMJ that I have been suffering with for years. We'll see how I feel by tonight. Just a couple more days of school and the boys are counting down!

Just finished my first trip to the chiropractor. They took X-rays and I certainly saw the problem. I am leaning to one side in my lower back. He did an adjustment and it popped like I have been longing for it to pop. Of course, now the other side feels strained and I still don't walk with much pep in my step. I had told my husband I would come back walking like a 23 year old. He watched me get out of the van and said that didn't look like any 23 year old he had ever seen. I go back tomorrow morning for another adjustment and hopefully that will put it all back in place. In the meantime, I have to suffer through sitting on a cold pack to lessen the swelling. I turned the heat up first thing! Yesterday was the aquarium's visit for our 4-Hers and homeschool friends. The kids had a good time and I am sure we will do it again. #2 loved everything, but especially dissecting the squid. He came home with the pen from inside the squid. #1 of course can't admit that he had a good time--that's his personality. In a couple of days he will tell me what all he liked and enjoyed. But he did help during one of the shows. The leader had a snake crawl inside her shirt and she needed someone to hold the back end of the snake while she got it out. #1 volunteered to hold the back end. I was surprised by that and later found out that he was trying to ask a question, not volunteer! One more funny thing: We are reading Little House on the Prairie at night now. Ma was so excited to have a wooden floor and a real bed, even a table cloth on the table. "Now we can live like civilized people." #2 asked, "Why do you want to live like civilized people? They live 40 miles from a town. Who cares if you are civilized?" That's a male for you--let's all fart and burp now.

We put the piano in the dining room. It took 3 young men and my husband to move it. Very heavy from what I gathered. There really wasn't much of an option of where to put it. The hall was a viable option, but the lighting is very poor in there. The living room perhaps could have worked, but the dining room seemed best to me. The kids see it all of the time, walk past it, etc. so I think it will help to improve practice time. The piano I had as a child was in the spare room and didn't promote practice. #2 is thrilled because now he can play music at his cafe when he serves his "customers." My husband sees the piano and its placement as my continuing plot to get rid of him. Guess I better start being more subtle. ________ You know, when a woman is in her early twenties and she says to her husband that she is going to take a shower, somehow, he gets to the shower before her. When a woman is in her late-middle thirties and she tells her husband that she is taking a shower, she is asked to wait until the show is over. You know the world has headed south at that point. (Maybe that is why I got the piano!!)

I bought a piano yesterday. I have wanted one for a while now. The first time I wanted one was in Texas. The Salvation Army and the Thrift Store both would get them in and they would be $100. But I never got around to getting one. A friend here works in the Habitat ReSale Shop and I told him if a good piano comes in to let me know. "Too bad," he said. One had just come in that was really nice, still in tune, had a professional look over, etc, but it sold. Well on Wednesday he told me the lady never came to pick it up. So it was my good fortune, and it is being picked up and delivered today. The boys aren't thrilled. They want to play guitar, flute, violin, recorder, anything but the piano. I have told them if they play piano then they can have other lessons too. We will see how committed they are on piano first! _______ Pollen is still in abundance in Eastern Carolina! I tried to work outside a bit yesterday and came inside with blisters on my eyes. This morning it hurt to open them. I still don't have the garden out! It is bothering me, but not enough to make me do it I guess. Of course, the crunching in my back doesn't motivate me either.

I took the boys to hear an Appalachian story teller last night at the university. He was dressed in bib overalls and had a beard and farmer baseball cap. He looked the part. It was especially interesting to hear him, since he is from western NC and some of the language he used was used in the book I just finished, The Man Who Moved a Mountain. He told stories about life growing up, and stories about Jack, tales handed down for hundreds of years in his family. His family has been recognized as a national treasure of storytelling. Watching Orville tell his stories last night reminded me of home. My Uncle Dan likes to tell stories too. You never know if he is is serious or joking, so you listen to the whole story and then laugh. His stories are very often real ones. It was good to think about home for a while.

I love to tell the story for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. And when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song 'Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long. Easter is still with me. I was mildly surprised to have this realization on Easter Sunday: I like to hear the Gospel story the best. I have been a Christian all of my life, born and bred. I have heard the story all of my life. I used to think my Grandmother was a fanatic, a Jesus Freak, because it was all she wanted to talk about. But I am starting to see that that is all there is to life. It is the story that makes me happy, gives me purpose, lifts me up, encourages me. God loved me so much that He sent his Son to live on this earth and show me his love. Then, he gave the ultimate example of love by sacrificing himself on my behalf. Then, He overcame Satan and came back to life. I love to tell the story "twill be my theme in Glory to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

I have a friend who may have attempted suicide this week, at least she has seriously considered it. I once considered this option when I was in high school. I was in a situation that seemed hopeless, and I didn't know what to do. I wanted out of it, but couldn't see the light. I really wasn't even sure of what I wanted. That is where this friend is. She knows what she is dealing with is wrong, but she doesn't know how to change it or even if she should change it. How sad to see no hope. That, combined with an article I read this week about how poor people in America live, made me think how truly blessed my children are. They may have a father with a bad temper, and a mother who is scatter-brained and flies off the handle at times, but they have never been abused, nor do they question our love for them. They are healthy, and if they weren't we would go to the doctor. They eat good food every day; not once have they gone without eating. They have a warm, dry home without snakes or other critters coming through the floor. Their parents don't smoke, drink, gamble, fight, run-around, neglect, or abuse them. My children know nothing but love. Dear Lord, please bless all the children living in your world this night with love, healing, food, comfort, and hope. Even if just for this one night, let them know You care.

Got some spring cleaning done yesterday. I bought a chest of drawers for the boys' room a few weeks ago, but hadn't gotten it into their room yet. So we cleaned and moved furniture around all day. All of the bedding was washed, the baseboards cleaned, things dusted, papers thrown out...a good day in my opinion! I was also able to clean some of the rest of the house since it was my "night off." I know, I know, but I feel more relaxed at times if I know the house is clean. The point of a night off is to be more relaxed, so sometimes work is relaxing! We are heading to Kinston this afternoon for a little field trip. They have a nice nature center and a health/science museum that is great for small children, and it is free!! I have to lighten up a little this week since the other kids are on spring break.

I do not think like my husband. Last night he tried to give me some tips to a Sudoku puzzle that #2 had received for Easter. I tried to follow where he was leading, but it gave me a headache. I think "what fits?"; he thinks, "what doesn't fit?". I look at one box at a time, maybe a row; he looks at three boxes and columns at once. This isn't a new problem. He reads lots of books at one time; I focus on one. This sounds like he is a man who can multi-task and I am a woman who cannot. That is not true. I keep many balls in the air; he collapses from stress when too much is going on. He is a different thinker than I am, that is all. But last night's "teaching session" helped me remember that I need to try different ways to teach the boys. They may not be as normal as their mother! ;>)

Well, here I am back again. A bit of hit and miss lately, sorry. I was feeling much better by Weds. and Thursday didn't even take the medicines. So Friday I had sat still long enough and went outside to work. I trimmed the goats' hooves, spread fertilizer and helped fix the chicken coop. By Friday evening I was miserable again. So back to the meds I went. I guess I have a problem knowing when to slow down. The kids did well on their standardized tests, at least they think. But I looked at the test booklets when they were done and the material looked easy for them. They keep asking me why home-schooled kids are smarter than other kids. I keep assuring them that they aren't, but that they are privileged to get more attention and so can thrive more easily. I think they like thinking they are smarter though. Today is Easter. This is a great holiday for me. There isn't much in the way of preparation, shopping, decorating, etc. Boil some eggs and pass along some chocolates. The boys like to color eggs- and if they are beautiful enough the Easter Bunny hides them!- and they enjoy making the Ressurection cookies that we do each year. They are getting to the point now that they know what is coming next in the recipe/story. I enjoy the flowers and bursts of spring that occur during the holiday. This part of the country has the most beautiful spring scenery. But maybe the best part of Easter is the memory each year of my hubby asking me to marry him. He filled an Easter basket with plastic eggs. Each egg had a note in it about how much he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me. Then he had me open an egg that had a wonderful letter in it. Then came the final egg that had the ring. He got down on one knee and begged me to marry him- well that is how I remember it anyway. He is a good husband and I have never regretted my answer. Happy Anniversary Honey!

You're probably wondering what happened to the daily blogger. Well, I hurt my back and couldn't stand to be in the chair for long. Monday a week ago, I was lifting a load of wet laundry and felt something pop. By that afternoon I knew I was hurt. I figured it would heal after a couple of days, but instead it continued to worsen. Finally Sunday night I was having waves of nausea from the pain, so I thought it was time to go to the doctor. He gave me 3 different meds and I am finally starting to improve. I know I am improving because I finally tried to clean some house today. Boy, one week off and this place is a disaster!! The boys are testing this week with our homeschool group. The state requires standardized tests each year. My kids actually look forward to it because we test as a group. The moms bring snacks and there is play time involved as well. It means no book work too, always a plus. They feel confident about the tests, and so far say they have been taught everything on the test, so hopefully they are doing well. At least there aren't any races between the boys and girls this year! Last year, #1's group was racing to see who would finish first, boys or girls.

Becky has always been a bit spoiled, well, ok, really spoiled. Surprisingly, it hasn't made her arrogant or snobbish. She has a sweet, flirtacious manner about her. She often is described as "giddy." Becky met a great guy and fell in love. Her father threw a lavish wedding for her, $50,000! It was a great party. There was a string quartet, dancing, lots of fine wine and toasting. The bride was beautiful. She danced with her father first and you could see the joy in her face as she looked up at him. She stopped the quartet halfway through teh song to tell everyone how much she loved her dad and thanked him for this fabulous day. She was nearly jumping out of her skin with pleasure and happiness. George had to have a kidney transplant last year. He was close to death several times. The medications weren't working and he started to reject the donor kidney. Agonizing is the only word to describe his life. The medical bills piled up and he lost his job. The stress of being unable to provide for his family put him in depression. Last week he received a notice that he is losing his house. Shelly, his wife, couldn't take any more and left him 2 days ago. George hated what he had to do, but he had no choice. He went to his father last night and asked for some help. His dad gladly gave him everything he had in his life savings, $50,000. George wept and wept at the enormity of what his father was willing to give for him. Practical Sally, that's what we call her. Don't buy the expensive shampoo, Suave works just as well. Why stay at the Hampton when Motel 6 is right beside it? Sally has had good and bad experiences through her life. She had a nice childhood, some would say the American dream. She went to college, met a nice guy, has a family now. Some things have happened along the way, but Practical Sally always gets through it. Today there was a surprise in the mailbox. Her father had sold his home and made a little profit. He wanted to share it with his children, so here is $50,000. Sally called her dad right away and thanked him properly. She was shocked by the gift, but certainly pleased. After she hung up the phone, she also sat down to write her dad a note. It was the right thing to do. Eric is known as a druggie. He was rebellious as a teen, did what he wanted, wouldn't listen to anyone, left home at 17. He hated what his father stood for and the hatred grew in him for years. He hasn't spoken to his father in a really long time, though he does think of him now and then. Eric has never held a job, everyone was always against him. He tried to get what he deserved by gambling, but somehow the big bucks were always just out of reach. He had borrowed a lot of money from the wrong people, and now he was afraid and hopeless. He is constantly running. His father heard through a friend that Eric was in big trouble. He sent $50,000 to Eric's bookie. Eric was stunned that his father would do such a thing. He didn't think his dad was that kind of guy. He quietly went to his father and asked forgiveness. He spent time in rehab for a while, but the biggest change has come from shadowing his father. Eric is changing; he is gentle, softer. He works hard and earnestly wants to please his dad. Each person was given the same gift by the same person. An exorbitant gift from a father to his child. Each child responded differently based on his personality, situation, and understanding. Each child showed gratitude; the father was thanked and appreciated. The same is true of all of us. We have all been given the same gift by our father. We all come to thank him, but because our personalities, situations, and understandings are all different our thankfulness is expressed differently. Some of us are giddy with celebration, some weep with gratitude, others are practical and proper in their thanksgiving, and still others are earnest and hardworking. Only the Father knows if the worship is from the heart. Go today and worship Him who is deserving of your praise, however that praise may manifest itself.

A thin yellow blanket covers our cars this time of year. The long-leaf Eastern Pine is, I suppose, the equivalent of the West Coast Redwood. It is a tall, stately tree with very long needles and huge pine cones. They are great to look at and provide the area with all of the "pine straw" any landscaper coould desire. BUT every spring the pollen fills the air. Many suffer from allergies to the pollen. Thankfully our family doesn't suffer too badly, burning eyes and some wheezing. The real question is who is going to wash the car?! Hubby decided to dig yesterday while I was in Spanish class. He took out 18 wheelbarrows full of dirt. The pond is getting lower and the garden is getting higher, just what we need to happen. The dirt from the pond is being put on the garden because of a flooding problem that has cost me my harvest every year. Hopefully, this year will yield more for our labor.

I watched Man of the Year with my husband last night. It was a little raunchier than I prefer, but the premise was good. Really there are 2 stories going on at once: A woman has detected an error in voting tabulations and tried to report it. Now the company is coming after her because that kind of info will make them lose a lot of money. The other is that a political comedian is elected President and the repercussions of that. It has some interesting thoughts; how much can we rely on the voting process to be correct, and when will politicians stop their rhetoric and paybacks and just help our country? All of the talk about this current election being more people driven because of the internet and devices like youtube, makes the movie a little more believable. ___________ Still working on the garden and pond. I sure hope the backyard wildlife appreciates it.

Today is another co-op day. Before co-op there is a fire safety program, then lunch, then co-op; a very full day, I would say. I recently offered to homeschool the children that I care for, thinking it would be easier all the way around, for the parents and myself. They thought about it for a few days but came to the conclusion that they really want their kids to be with their peers. I am fine with that, I had started to wonder about schooling all of them and how tired would I be, but the funny thing is that the kids are in Montessori. That means they are with kids of various ages, just like homeschool. This week the kids went to art class at the university, attended a county council meeting for 4-H, had their 4-H, and now today's program and co-op. My children are not lacking being with their peers! One mother I was talking with recently put it this way, "When we started homeschooling last year, people asked me about socialization. My kids get more socialization now than they did when they were in school. They always had too much homework to socialize before." Homework. Even the first grader that I care for is having homework and the parents are having trouble keeping up. I really don't remember having homework until high school. I never gave homework as a professional teacher. I guess the corporate world has leaked into school: work all day and then take some home to work all night. Where is the rest and joy of life?

I just read a sad story on msn. It seems that Americans over-react to marital affairs. They should be expected. Just get over it and move on; the change will make your marriage more exciting. The author cited examples from other countries where the "fall-out" from affairs is not as bad as in America. At least he did quote a therapist as saying women have little rights in the other countries and they deal with it by using suicide. Affairs may happen, God can forgive; but expecting an affair is just plain wrong. _________ When I was a child we played cowboys and indians. On Sunday afternoons, my dad and I would lie on the couch and watch westerns together. My kids lived with their grandparents for a year when they were young, so they also had the experience of watching westerns and playing cowboys and indians. But it seems the new generation has a new frontier. My children's friends, and my children, are enamoured with Star Wars. They watch the movies, talk about Star Wars at every chance meeting, and they play Star Wars battles. The boys went out with their dad the other night and #1 had to buy ANOTHER light saber...because they don't have a red one! It doesn't matter that there are already 6 light sabers out in the yard and only 2 children living here; you have to have a red one. May the force be with you. __________ Ok, husband's weird humor: Last night a commercial was on for a vacuum cleaner. They were talking about how all of the other vacuums need bags and filters. But this one doesn't. It has a strong wind tunnel and can suck up anything. Buy a Dyson. My husband quietly says, "So I guess Dyson really sucks." Maybe they weren't thinking it through when they wrote the commercial.